In the gaming industry, especially in casino table gaming, there has been a significant move toward more automation. Playing cards are read, wagers are electronically read, player identifications are read, and the totality of the information is communicated to one or more processors, servers or computers to store and/or analyze the information for gaming and record keeping functions.
As with many technological improvements, there are often sacrifices by workers, often in the sense that functionally improved environments may not be as ergonomically satisfactory as more traditional modes of operation. The environment of playing card delivery and removal is one particular area of dissatisfaction amongst dealers in the casino table card game environment.
Originally, dealers would take one or more decks of playing cards, shuffle them manually, and deliver cards out of their hands. Dealers were able to move, bend, twist, shift forward and backwards, lift their aims and had a great degree of freedom of movement. Even though the work was repetitive, this freedom of movement relieved some of the physical stress that can build up when working long hours in a single position, with repetitive movements. Even with the initial advent of delivery shoes in the 1950s, the dealers were still able to move while they were manually shuffling cards. The delivery shoes were small and light and moved easily over the gaming surface.
With the successful penetration of the casino market with automatic shufflers, primarily by Shuffle Master, Inc., the dealers are no longer required to perform repetitive shuffling tasks, but they have less freedom of movement during work. The shuffler is typically mounted in a fixed position on a table, positioned so that the structure does not interfere with play and in a position that is intended to be comfortable for a dealer of average size. The dealer inserts cards in a single stationary location, the playing cards are shuffled, the dealer removes the playing cards from a stationary card delivery tray or chute, and the dealer deals out the cards to each player position, himself and or a community position.
Shufflers, in particular, can vary significantly in height, width, depth and function on a table. Different functions include batch shufflers (which randomize a complete set of cards, which are then removed from the shuffler as a group, or in multiple subgroups) and continuous shufflers (a number of cards always remain in a shuffler, smaller subsets are removed periodically, and spent cards are reintroduced into the shuffler and randomized into the number of cards that remain in the shuffler). Some shufflers are mounted flush with a gaming table surface, while others are fixed to a platform adjacent the table or mounted with brackets to a side of the table adjacent the dealer's position. Yet others sit on the table surface. Each of these positions requires the dealer to make repetitive moves to a single stationary position where the shuffler remains stationary. As dealers are of different heights, arm-lengths and flexibility, there is no perfect single position at which a playing card system, such as a shuffler, may be fixed.
As mentioned above, some shufflers such as the ONE2SIX® shuffler, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,460 rest on the gaming table surface. Although the ONE2SIX® shuffler is capable of being repositioned on the table surface, its elevation with respect to the gaming surface is high as compared to more low profile shufflers.
Examples of continuous and batch shufflers that are known in the art and may be used in the practice of the present invention include, by way of non-limiting examples, those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,384,044; 7,322,576; 7,261,294; 7,255,344; 7,234,698; 7,137,627; 7,059,602; 7,036,818; 6,905,121; 6,886,829; 6,719,288; 6,651,981; 6,588,751; 6,588,750; 6,568,678; 6,254,096; 6,149,154 and the like. Each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Some of these shuffling devices also have built-in card-reading capability.
Similarly, any delivery shoe or discard rack may be used on a gaming table, such as those disclosed, by way of non-limiting examples, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,407,438; 7,374,170; 7,278,923; 7,264,241; 7,213,812; 7,114,718; 6,637,622; 6,402,142; 6,299,536; 6,039,650; 5,722,893; and the like, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.